


like a life raft in a storm

by cosmic_llin



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: Caretaking, Established Relationship, F/F, Partnership, Sensory Overload, Stranded, Understanding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:20:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25617991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmic_llin/pseuds/cosmic_llin
Summary: The dinner - five courses - ended at last, but there were still hours of chatting and mingling and representing the school to be got through before she could get away, let down her hair and curl up quietly with Ada. Hecate didn’t often drink, and wasn’t tonight, but she knew she’d feel as though she had a hangover tomorrow anyway.Hecate has to attend a party.
Relationships: Ada Cackle/Hecate Hardbroom
Comments: 15
Kudos: 52
Collections: The Hackle Summer Trope Challenge





	like a life raft in a storm

Hecate wasn’t a natural conversationalist, but it wasn’t as though she was shy, either. She could have held her own perfectly well, at least at first, if they had only talked about interesting things.

She’d tried mentioning the fascinating article she’d read in last month’s Potion Review, but someone had said: ‘Oh, shop talk? Let’s not, I’m sick of the sight of potions.’ And then they’d all talked and talked about wasn’t it terrible how brooms these days were getting so much more expensive, and had everyone seen what Evanora Firelight had been wearing at her last show (everyone but Hecate had and opined at length), and then they’d started discussing the personal life of someone she didn’t know and who wasn’t present, and in spite of a valiant struggle she’d rather tuned out.

And the longer it went on the louder everyone got, and the harder it became to make out what anyone was saying at all (a silver lining, she supposed, but it was so _noisy_ ), and when at last the dinner was served the sound of clinking glasses and cutlery on plates set her teeth on edge. 

Ada was far away, up at the top table with the other headmistresses. Hecate tried not to keep glancing over, but it was difficult - not only because the sight of her was reassuring, but because she was looking particularly magnificent tonight.

Ada always dazzled at these sorts of occasions - she thrived in a crowd, and she had a million funny and interesting stories to tell. She knew all the oldest witching families and could ask after everyone’s cousins and great-aunts. Everyone wanted her advice and her opinions on everything. She was the centre of gravity in the room, the sun around which everyone else orbited, which was only right and proper, of course.

Hecate _wanted_ Ada to have fun and be admired and be the centre of attention. But she also missed Ada a little, at these grand occasions. At a staff party the two of them could walk around arm in arm and nobody cared, but at the Annual Witching Academies Network Ball Ada was the face of the school, and this year the host of the entire gathering. She had to speak to absolutely everybody, not spend time with people she saw every day anyway.

Most years Hecate managed to avoid the Ball entirely by virtue of the fact that she never left the castle, but this year hosting duties had rotated around to them for the first time in decades, and as deputy head she really had to put in an appearance.

The dinner - five courses - ended at last, but there were still hours of chatting and mingling and representing the school to be got through before she could get away, let down her hair and curl up quietly with Ada. Hecate didn’t often drink, and wasn’t tonight, but she knew she’d feel as though she had a hangover tomorrow anyway.

When they rose from the table she drifted away from the people who’d been sitting around her and joined a group where someone was telling a long anecdote, in the hope that she could blend in a bit. It was so _hot_ , and so crowded. How did they all stand it?

And suddenly there was Ada, appearing by her side like a life raft in a storm.

‘Oh, Miss Hardbroom,’ she was saying. ‘I’m _so_ glad I found you. I’m afraid there’s a bit of a problem that needs our attention… a pastoral care issue... I’m so sorry to drag you away…’

‘Not at all, Miss Cackle,’ said Hecate. ‘Do excuse me,’ she said to the fellow teachers making sympathetic faces.

Ada took her by the elbow and guided her through the throng until they emerged into the grounds. The noise faded, and in the cool starlit evening Hecate felt as though she could breathe again.

‘What is it?’ she asked. ‘What’s the problem? Are the girls all safe?’

‘The girls are fine,’ Ada assured her, walking them further from the brightly lit doors. ‘A little white lie. I just thought it would be nice to escape for a few minutes.’

Hecate made a sceptical face. ‘You thought it would be nice for _me_ to escape for a few minutes,’ she said. ‘ _You_ were having the time of your life.’

Ada tilted her head with mock sheepishness that didn’t fool Hecate at all. ‘So what if I was?’ she asked. ‘I can have fun and look after you at the same time.’

‘There was really no need…’

‘But I wanted to. So let’s take a moment, at least?’

‘All right,’ said Hecate grudgingly, but it was a relief to be here with Ada, walking in step along the path that circled the castle, hearing the occasional owl in the distance, frogs in the pond, the autumn wind rattling half-empty branches.

They didn’t speak, just strolled in restful silence, and after a few minutes they came back around to the front doors. As they approached them, Hecate felt herself tense at the idea of going back in there. Against her will, she found herself walking more slowly.

It was Ada who stopped them outright though, just outside the golden semicircle of light that would lead them back inside.

‘You’ve had enough, haven’t you?’ she said gently.

Hecate blushed. ‘Ada, I’m so sorry. I can try to be more…’

‘Hush, I don’t want you to try to be more anything…’

‘Do you think everyone knew?’

Ada smiled fondly. ‘Not at all. You’ve been the model of a gracious deputy headmistress all evening. It’s just that I know you and I can see when things are getting a bit too much. Why don’t you call it a night, go up to bed? I’ll say you had to go away to deal with my fake emergency.’

‘It’s not so bad,’ Hecate lied. ‘I don’t want to let the school down. It’s part of my job to be there.’

‘It’s part of your job to show your face. You’ve done more than enough. Besides, now that the wine is flowing nobody will remember who was there and who wasn’t.’

‘I do have a bit of a headache,’ Hecate admitted. ‘But I’m not sure whether…’

Ada played her ace. ‘Hecate, my love… I’ll have a much nicer evening, knowing that you’re tucked up quietly with a book and I don’t need to worry about what a miserable time you’re having.’

‘That does sound nice…’ Hecate admitted.

‘Go on,’ said Ada, and she squeezed Hecate’s hand. ‘I’ll see you later.’

Hecate watched Ada walk away for a moment. The light made her look as though she was glowing. Then she transferred to her own room and got ready for bed straight away, knowing that once she sat down she wouldn’t get up again.

She climbed under the covers and both cats slouched into her lap, an anchoring weight. She picked up her book.

The next thing she knew, Ada was tiptoeing in. Had she closed her eyes? Surely only moments had gone by? But no, it was hours later, and Ada was gently taking Hecate’s book from her hand and putting it on the bedside table.

‘Did you have a nice evening?’ Hecate murmured.

‘I didn’t know you were awake,’ Ada said softly. ‘It was lovely. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.’ She pressed a quick, tipsy kiss to Hecate’s forehead. ‘I’m just going to change.’

Hecate decided to stay awake until Ada was ready for bed, a resolution which swiftly failed.

When she woke in the morning, she found that she’d managed to cuddle up close anyway.


End file.
